Sometimes, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will let you ask for a mandatory reconsideration if you’ve missed the one-month deadline.

You should write to the DWP to ask for the reconsideration – in your letter, explain why you could not ask in the one-month time limit and ask them to extend the deadline, but you can only ask for a late reconsideration up to 13 months after the original decision.

You should write to the DWP to ask for the reconsideration – in your letter, explain why you could not ask in the one-month time limit and ask them to extend the deadline, but you can only ask for a late reconsideration up to 13 months after the original decision. The later you ask, the stronger your reasons need to be. The DWP will accept a late reconsideration if:

It is reasonable,

You couldn’t ask earlier because of special circumstances.

If you were unwell or in hospital at the time, for example, you could ask the DWP for a late reconsideration, but it’s their choice whether to accept this or not. The DWP will not accept a late reconsideration because you did not know about the law or time limits

A recent Upper Tribunal decision has decided that you can have the right to appeal as long as you request a mandatoryreconsideration within 13 months. This means DWP will either need to:

reconsider their decision or revise it due to an official error

give you a mandatory reconsideration notice saying the decision cannot be revised

Either way you should receive a mandatory reconsideration notice if you are still not happy with the outcome you can appeal to an independent tribunal.